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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. GALLY.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. No. 344,646. Patented June 29, 1886.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. M. GALLY.

MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 344,646. Patented June 29, 1886.

Witnesses,

Invent-or.

n PETERS. Phnkrl-ithognpher. Wnhmglon, u. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MERRITT GALLY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 344,646, dated June 29,1886.

Application filed September 17, 1885.

T0 ctZZ whom it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that I, MERRITT GALLY, residing at New York city, in thecounty of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a part ofthe wind-chest and action of a reed-orgau embodying the several featuresof my invention. Fig. 2 is enlarged views ofthe reed-valves and theirlevers, showing the principle of their operation. Fig. 3 is a side andplan view of pneumatic valve with adjustable valve-spring; and Fig. 4 isa planview ofthe pneumatics,valves, and val velevers.

In reed-organs in which two or more sets of reeds are used, operated bya single set of valves and windways, it is necessary that these valvesbe long and cover much more surface of windway than would be necessaryto give full tone to all the sets if sounded by separate valves. This isespecially the case if unison-sets are employed, as they are otherwiseliable to throw each other out of tune.

In a sensitive pneumatic action it is difficult to operate large or longvalves with large surface of windway, as such construction requirespneumatics of such power as to make theaction slow of operation, andtherefore unfit for rapid music.

In Fig. 1 I show two sets of reeds, B O, which may be unison-sets, orotherwise, as the case may require. I give to these sets sep aratewindways and separate valves, 0 c, having the wiudways as small aswillproduce for each a full tone of its reed. I place across these twovalves, which are to be operated together,a valve-lever, H,which I leaveperfectly free at both ends, a and 1-. The valves are self-adjustablevalves as to their valveseats, as more particularly shown in theenlarged View, Fig. 2. By bringing the valve-spring 15 upon thevalve-lever between the two valves both the valves are adjusted to theirseats by the pressure of the spring. If the spring is made to bearexactly midway between the valves, the pressure on them will be equal,which is the proper position when the valves are of equal size. If thevalves are of unequal size, I move the bearing of the springproportionately nearer thelarger valve. This equal- Serial No. 177381.(No model.)

izes the resistance of the valve against the air-pressure.

XVhen the pneumatic motor a moves valvelever II, the lever has first aslight movement at it until it touches the block S, which block thenbecomes the fulcrum of the lever, and both valves are moved from theirseats. On the return movement of the lever the valve nearest the fulcrumS touches its seat first and forms a fulcrum for the lever, which,leaving fulcrum S,brings the other valve firmly to its seat by means ofthe action of the spring, which presses between the two valves.

In order that the valve-lever may be easily adjusted so that it will beonlyslightly free from the fulcrum S when the valves are on their seats,I make the lever adjustable as to one of its valves, and the other valveas a fulcrum for the adjustment.

In Fig. 2 two styles of valves are shown, the selt adjnsting valves 0 6being made with socket and pin, and the valves 0 a being connected tothe valve-lever by means of a yield ing joint of soft leather. For thevalve 6 at the right of figurel show a screw, R, passing through thelever and acting as the valvepin. \Vith this screw the position of thelever is easily adjusted, the other valve 0 being the fulcrum ofadjustment. For the valve 6, I attach only the ends of the connectingleather to the lever and the central portion of the leather to thevalve, and with the screw R pressing against the leather I make theadjust ment of the valve-lever.

The action is shown as being operated both by manual and mechanical. orautomatic action, D representing the manual key-board, and h themechanical perforated music-sheet. The air-ducts lead from the pneumaticaction to the music-sheet through the tracker-range F, and also to thevent-valvesf of the manual.

In Fig. 1 Ishow apeeuliar adjusting device for holding the vent-valve ofthe mannafkey to its seat, and also for adjusting the touch of the'key.The key D rests on an ordinary fulcrum, g, which is placed upon thekeyframe K. Between the fulcrum 3 and the valve-seat at f, I passloosely through the key D a wire, or, with a screw cut in one end and ahead or button at the other. The screw enters the key-frame under thekey, and, passing up through the key, has a coiled spring between thehead and thekey. In order to have the bearing of the spring as near aspossible pivoting the spring at this point.

to the point where the wire enters the opening of the key from below, Imake asocket in the key nearly through its body and place the coiledspring in the socket, as shown. By turning the screw more or less intothe keyframe the touch can be adjusted to suit the desire of anyperformer; at the same time the spring-pressure acts as a means ofholding the vent-valve f to its seat.

I attach the vent-valve f to the key D by means of a piece of yieldingleather, and through the key over the valve I put a setscrew, 0, forraising or lowering the key while the valve remains in its seat. screws0 for leveling orbringing into line all the keys of the manual, whichsaves the greater labor of packing up atthe fulcrum y of the keys.

In Fig. l the swell L is shown as operated by the large pneumatic motorN. This pneumatic connects with the air-chest A through tube Q. At theport of this tube Q in the wind-chest is a valve, n, Fig. 3, operated byvalve-lever W. The lever W is actuated by a small pneumatic, asshown,which pneumatic connects with the tracker-range h, or with key orknee swell. as desired. The valve-lever W is not necessarily removedfrom the presser of thepneumatic, andis shown aslying across it. Inorder to prevent the lever from stopping the vent of the presser, ahole, I), is cut through the valve-lever under the vent. A groove orother opening for windway may be made either in the lever or thepresser,instead of the hole I), for preventing the lever from stoppingthe vent. This style of pneumatic and valve lever may also be used forthe sounding devices with equal effect.

It is necessary to adjust the tension of the valve-springs of apneumatic action carefully and accurately to insure proper action of thevalves, and when these springs are situated within the wind-chest suchadjustment usually requires taking the instrument apart and putting ittogether a number of times before the work is completed. To avoid thislabor I make the spring adjustable from the outside of the wind-chest,as shown in Fig. 3. At the block J, I make a fulcrum for the spring X,either by taking a turn of the wire under a screw-head, as shown, orotherwise I then eX- tend the rear end of the spring through a slottedblock, Z. From the outside of the wind-chest I pass through its wall ascrew, N which extends through into the slot of block Z against thelower end of the spring. By means of the screw N it will be seen thatthe spring X can be set to any desirable de gree of tension from outsidethe instrument.

In Fig. 4 is shown a plan of the valve levers, valves, and pneumaticmotors. In

order to make the pressers of the motors as large as possible in anorgan of narrow range it is my custom usually to set the valve-leverssufficiently far removed from the pressers to prevent the movement ofany lever by the I use these action of the presser of an adjacent lever.In such case the lever of one motor can be allowed to cross the edge ofan adjacent.motor. This construction makes the wind-chest deeper than issometimes desirable, and to some extent complicates the action.

In order to be able to place the levers near to or touching thepressers, I shape the pressers and levers as shown in Fig. 4. Pressers aare made long and sufficiently narrow to clear in their movement theadjacent levers. For the circular pressers a, I cut away a portion ofthe adjacent lever H, as shown, or cut away a sufficient portion of thecircular presser, as a The levers H and H can be made wider than leversH, and have an advantage 'ustin -screw connectin with one of the- J a ra valves, for adjusting the position of the lever.

3. In combination with the valve-lever, a spring bearing on said leverat one end and a slotted guide for theother end of the spring, and ascrew bearing on the spring to raise or lower it in the slotted guide,and thereby adjust its tension, as set forth.

4. In combination with the valve-levers of a musical instrument, aseries of springs sup ported within the wind-chest and bearing on saidlevers, and an adjusting-screw for each spring extending outside thewind chest, whereby each spring may be separately adjusted from outsidethe wind chest, as set forth.

5. In the pneumatic action of a musical instrument, the valve-lever cutaway to avoid interfering with adjacent pneumatic motors, substantiallyas specified.

6. In the pneumatic action of a musical instrument, the pneumaticpresser, cut away at its edges to avoid interfering with adjacentvalve-levers, substantially as specified.

7. In a pneumatic valve-action of a musical instrument in which thevalve-lever is operated by means of contact of the pneumatic presser,the windway, as I), for preventing the lever from cutting otf thevent-duct of the presser.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MERRITT GALLY.

IIO

